Channel 4's 3 Minute Wonder series of short films is a chance for aspiring filmmakers to get a break at airing their work to the channel's viewer base (which is a lot of people). Despite the fact that no real regulations are explicitly imposed (aside from the already standing broadcast regulations and the fact that it has to be 3 minutes), most 3 Minute Wonders end up being documentaries discussing/exploring various lesser-known issues like illness, or highlighting certain interesting things that are happening in an area local to the filmmaker.
Since we've been tasked with producing our own 3 Minute Wonders, I have taken to watching a few. I've picked 3 favourites:
This Is Our Youth - Carrot Crew
This sort of light-hearted subject matter whilst still retaining the structure and tone of a more serious documentary appeals to me, and the idea is somewhat original and kept my attention. I like the simple back-and-forth between the two gangs, and the sort of observational style really fit the subject matter.
Last Supper
While this isn't exactly the sort of mood or tone I would be going for, I still thought that this one was extremely thought-provoking and sincere. It's another observational documentary since it's just one man talking to the camera (or someone just off to the side of the camera). It's again very simple, and yet it's still able to hold the viewer's attention for its 3 minutes.
Jeff Koons - Three Ball Total Equilibrium Tank
Tate's 4 shorts take a focus group and explore their opinions on a certain piece of modern art; in this case 3 basketballs suspended in some sort of gel in a fish tank. It's really interesting and unique, because it's just one big interview with a lot of different people. It's sort of interactive because the filmmaker's questions are heard at one or two points, but it's mostly just 'talking heads'. Some of these documentaries really tend to blur the lines between Bill Nichols' 5 types of documentaries. I like the focus group aspect, and just the fact that it's a big melting pot of opinions.
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